Hello fellow SPA members and volunteers
We thought it time for a quick update on progress - particularly pertaining to the new cattery. Work is still in underway, but we're about half way there! The laundry area has been successfully moved to make more room for the cats (that was quite a time-consuming job but fortunately now completed) and the kittens are happily playing in their new home. They have more room, lots of levels to jump around on and an easily accessible outdoor area. They seem very happy in their new premises though still need lots of human contact to socialise them (hint, hint). Meetings between Board members, ex-Board members (who initiated the project) and the architect are ongoing; in fact there's one happening as I write this email. I'm sure everyone will be happy to see the project finished, and we can't wait to bring the cats back from their temporary home down the road. Building projects always seem to take longer than anticipated, but we're keeping the pressure on and the funds supplied... If you'd like to make a donation, please mark the funds as being specifically for the new cattery.
Marie Abercrombie, our Treasurer, is being held captive in her office by piles and piles of paperwork. Does anyone have an old, unused filing cabinet she can have (or at least temporarily borrow)? Please contact her directly if you canhelp: punknjones@aol.com
Lou Peca, Board member, is in the process of organising a great fundraiser/children's activity and urgently needs lots of the huge kitty litter containers. If the container happens to be full, consider it a double gift to the SPA! Her project involves children decorating them for sale, so any unwanted art supplies will also be gratefully received. Please contact Lou if you can help: lpeca@juno.com
The Board's focus is now geared towards fundraising. We'll be organising an event on Labor Day, hopefully a musical evening, possibly an event on site when the new cattery and other areas are finished, we'd love to have a New Year's party, someone suggested a Casino Night etc. etc. So watch this space (and Atencion).
All the best to you. Please keep supporting the SPA - it's impossible to thank you enough for your kindness.
Janet Krem
Please join at our events that are always fun, informative and of course, help the animals!
If you would like to volunteer in any of our fundraising efforts or have a fund raising idea in mind, please don't hesitate to contact us!
ANIMAL CHARITIES UNITE: Different Missions, Same Cause
We have all seen the countless animals that roam our streets. The fortunate few are rescued, but there remain so many that need our help. Our compassion is all these abandoned animals have.
All of the proceeds of our events go to funding operations and expansions of, SOCIEDAD PROTECTORA DE ANIMALES (S.P.A.), and sometimes in conjunction with local related charities, AMIGOS DE ANIMALES San Miguel de Allende, and AMIGOS DE ANIMALES Guanajuato. Please note that the two Amigos de Animales charities are completely independent of one another.
The missions of these charities are distinct, but ultimately serve the same cause. The S.P.A., which has been active since the early 1980’s, is San Miguel’s only animal shelter. Housing nearly 100 dogs and cats at any given moment, it is a 24/7 operation with full-time staff and volunteer help. There is also an on-site low cost clinic offering veterinary care, vaccinations and spay/neuter services for people of modest means. The S.P.A. currently has many vital needs including a new septic system and a renovation of both cat and dog enclosure, which you can read more about on our Wish List.
Recently, a community outreach sponsorship program was instituted on-site at the S.P.A. to teach Mexican teenagers about animal obedience and proper care. This program has a two-fold benefit providing these youth with potential employment skills in dog walking, animal sitting and care, and it helps to socialize the dogs, making them more adoptable.
Amigos de Animales San Miguel de Allende, operating since 2002, has three main objectives. They organize sterilization blitzes 3 times a year where they spay/neuter approximately 150 animals each time, preventing hundreds of thousands of unwanted births. They create and implement educational programs targeting children that focus on the care and respectful treatment of animals. And they work with the city pound, providing the medicines for a gentle euthanasia of the dogs and have hired a veterinarian to supervise the euthanasia and assure the proper treatment of these animals. “Amigos”, as they are commonly referred to by the locals, have many other accomplishments, which you may read about on their website.
Amigos de Animales Guanajuato, also in operation since 2002, conducts sterilization campaigns three times a year in the city of Guanajuato or a nearby village. They also work with local veterinarians to rescue and facilitate the adoption of homeless dogs and cats. As of June 2008 they have found homes for over 1,500 animals and have sterilized more than 3,600.
With tag-lines such as “The Voice of the Voiceless” and “Hope, Health and Homes for Cats and Dogs in Need”, it is clear that these organizations care to make a tremendous difference on behalf of these abandoned creatures, those that have the capacity to love and give us so much in return.
Excerpted from an article by Janielle Penner Garza |
